Great Apes Program. Arcus makes grants to promote the survival of great apes in the wild and in sanctuaries that offer safety from invasive research and other forms of exploitation. Grant support focuses on activities that impact gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos, and gibbons in the following themes:

Great Apes in the Wild — Ensuring that viable populations of great apes are protected from extinction and living in habitats that are sustainably managed in terms of legal structures, policies, and pressures from economic development.

Great Apes in Captivity — Effective sanctuaries for apes managed in captive care, together with halting the use of great apes in entertainment and invasive medical research.

Great Apes and Ethics — Promoting the rights and intrinsic value of the great apes, especially the right to live free of abuse, exploitation, and private ownership.

Grant recipients are tax-exempt charitable organizations in the USA, and organizations not in the USA which have equivalent charitable status. Some of these are international conservation organizations (e.g., IUCN).

APPLICATION: Grant seekers confirm their eligibility, and submit an Initial Funding Concept (IFC). After review of the IFC, Arcus may invite a formal letter of inquiry (LOI). Based on the LOI, the Foundation determines whether to invite a full proposal.